Top 30 Brother Combinations in NHL History

Top 30 Brother Combinations in NHL History

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NHL players are a fraternity, but some NHL players are actually brothers.

Here is a look at the top 30 brother combinations in NHL history.

To make this list, both brothers must contribute. Sure, the Gretzkys have scored more goals than any other brother combination, but don't look for them on this list since Brent scored just one goal and four points during his brief NHL career.

Some families had more than two brothers reach the NHL, and they made this list if at least two brothers had solid NHL careers.

The very top of the list contains brothers that are both members of the Hockey Hall of Fame.

Feel free to mention any pairings you feel belonged on this list and enjoy the top 30 brother combinations in NHL history.

30. Brian and Stephen Gionta

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Brian Gionta stands only 5'7" but he is known as a tough and scrappy player who never backs down from anybody.

The Canadiens captain won a Stanley Cup in 2002-03 with the New Jersey Devils and had a career-best 48 goals and 89 points in 2005-06.

In his career thus far, Brian has scored 220 goals and 427 points in 666 career games.

Younger brother Stephen has yet to play a full season in the NHL, but he was a big part of the Devils run to the Stanley Cup Final last spring when he scored three goals and seven points in 24 playoff games.

He's played 32 regular season NHL games thus far in his career and has three goals and eight points.

29. Bill and Ernie Hicke

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The Hicke brothers both had success playing in the NHL.

Older brother Bill won a pair of Stanley Cups for the Canadiens in 1959 and 1960 and played in three NHL All-Star Games.

Ernie had three seasons of 20 or more goals including a career-best 30 goals in 1976-77 playing for the Minnesota North Stars.

The Hicke brothers were teammates in 1970-71 with the California Golden Seals. Ernie scored 22 goals in his rookie season while Bill added 18 goals for Charlie Finley's team.

28. Kevin, Kelly and Kip Miller

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The Millers brothers enjoyed solid NHL careers after playing at Michigan State University.

Kelly played 1,048 NHL games with the Rangers and Capitals. He was a great penalty killer and defensive forward who had a career-best 24 goals and 50 points in 1990-91.

Kip won the Hobey Baker Award as the top player in college hockey at Michigan State before playing for eight NHL teams during his pro career. He scored 74 goals and totaled 239 points in 449 games.

Kevin was a crafty winger who had four NHL seasons of 20 or more goals. He played for nine NHL teams between 1988 and 2004.

None of the Millers were superstars, but they were all steady players who were valuable contributors to their teams.

27. Claude and Jocelyn Lemieux

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Claude Lemieux won Stanley Cups with three different teams and was considered one of the game's best clutch players during his NHL career.

In 1995, Lemieux won the Conn Smythe Trophy as the NHL's playoff MVP.

He is considered one of the best pests in NHL history and had the ability to get opposing players off of their game.

Claude is considered a future Hall of Fame candidate after scoring 379 goals and 786 points in 1,215 NHL games.

Younger brother Jocelyn was a first round pick of the St. Louis Blues in 1986. He later played for the Canadiens, Blackhawks, Whalers, Devils, Flames and Coyotes. He finished his NHL career with 80 goals and 164 points in 598 games.

26. Chico and Wayne Maki

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Chico Maki played for the Blackhawks from 1961-1976 and got his name on the Stanley Cup in 1961 after playing one postseason game for Chicago that year.

He scored 143 goals and 436 points in 841 NHL games, all with Chicago.

Younger brother Wayne is best remembered for a stick swinging incident during a 1969 exhibition game that severely injured Boston's Ted Green.

Wayne started his career with the Blackhawks and was Chico's teammate in 1967-68 and 1968-69. He was claimed by the Canucks in the 1970 expansion draft and played for Vancouver before being diagnosed with a brain tumor in December of 1972.

Wayne died at the age of 29 in May of 1974. His career NHL stats include 57 goals and 136 points in 246 games.

The Canucks retired his number 11 jersey although they gave it to Mark Messier when he joined the club in 1997, angering many Canucks fans.

25. Rod and Ric Seiling

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Rod Seiling was a steady and often under-appreciated defenseman for the Rangers from 1963-1974.

Seiling was a smart, positional defenseman who the Rangers acquired from Toronto as part of the landmark trade that sent Andy Bathgate to Toronto.

Because of his smart, steady play, Seiling was selected to play for Team Canada in the 1972 Summit Series against the USSR.

"Sod" finished his NHL career with brief stints in Washington, Toronto, St. Louis and Atlanta. He played in 979 games, scoring 62 goals and 331 points.

Younger brother Ric was a first round pick of the Sabres in 1977. He spent 10 seasons in the NHL, nine with Buffalo and one in Detroit.

Ric's best season came in 1980-81 when he scored 30 goals while playing right wing for the Sabres.

In 738 career NHL games, Ric scored 179 goals and 387 points. He is currently a broadcaster for the AHL's Rochester Americans.

24. Mickey and Dick Redmond

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Mickey Redmond was one of the best goal scorers of the early 1970s before a bad back forced him into early retirement.

Mickey was traded from Montreal to Detroit in the deal that sent Frank Mahovlich to the Habs. He became the first Red Wings player to score 50 goals in a season when he scored 52 in 1972-73 and then tallied 51 the following season.

His back problems surfaced in 1974-75 and Redmond retired in 1976 to begin a successful broadcasting career.

Younger brother Dick was an offense-minded defenseman who spent 13 seasons in the NHL. Dick played for the North Stars, Golden Seals, Blackhawks, Flames, Blues and Bruins before retiring in 1982.

Dick's best season came with Chicago in 1976-77 when he scored 22 goals.

He finished his NHL career with 133 goals and 445 points in 771 games.

23. Jim and Joe Watson

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Jim Watson was a steady defenseman for the Flyers in the 1970s. His first full NHL season came in 1973-74, the year the Flyers won their first of two straight Stanley Cup titles.

Jim played for Canada in the 1976 Canada Cup and played for the Flyers for 10 seasons. In 613 NHL games, Jim had 38 goals and 186 points.

Jim's older brother Joe had a cup of coffee with the Bruins before getting a chance to play in Philadelphia in 1967 when the NHL expanded to 12 teams.

Joe played for Philadelphia for 11 seasons before finishing his career with the Colorado Rockies.

His career numbers were 38 goals and 216 points in 835 NHL games.

The Watsons were the fourth brothers to be teammates on a Stanley Cup winning team.

22. Mark and Marty Howe

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The Howe brothers would be higher on this list if WHA seasons could be fully counted.

Marty started his pro career with the WHA's Houston Aeros in 1973-74. They signed Marty, brother Mark and father Gordie, and the famous threesome played on a line together. The Howes won a pair of championships in Houston, and Marty played in the 1976 WHA All-Star Game.

When the NHL took in four WHA teams in 1979, Marty stayed with the Whalers. He also spent a season in Boston, playing for the Bruins.

Marty played in only 197 NHL games and scored two goals and 31 points. He also scored 67 goals and 184 points in 449 WHA games.

Mark Howe also played for Houston and New England of the WHA before the Whalers joined the NHL. He had his best seasons in the NHL playing for the Flyers. Mark played in four NHL All-Star Games and was named to three postseason All-Star Teams.

21. Saku and Mikko Koivu

Saku and Mikko Koivu have each had successful NHL careers after coming to North America from Finland.

Saku served as captain of the Montreal Canadiens for 10 years. His best offensive season came in 2006-07 when he scored 22 goals and 75 points for Montreal.

He also made a heroic return after missing most of the 2001-02 season with cancer. Koivu returned to play late in the season, earlier than expected and received a standing ovation from a supportive crowd. Saku won the Bill Masterton Trophy that same year.

He presently plays for the Anaheim Ducks. In 1,029 games, Saku has scored 241 goals and 792 points.

Younger brother Mikko is currently the captain of the Minnesota Wild. He is a solid two-way center and pinpoint passer.

He tied a Wild franchise record on October 16, 2008, by assisting on four goals in a game against the Florida Panthers.

In 506 NHL games, Mikko has scored 111 goals and accumulated 374 points. He has also won a silver and bronze medal representing Finland at the Olympics.

20. Rosaire and Wilf Paiement

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Rosaire Paiement broke into the NHL with the expansion Philadelphia Flyers but reached stardom with the Vancouver Canucks.

In 1972, Rosaire jumped to the Chicago Cougars of the WHA and had back-to-back 30 goal seasons. He later played for the New England Whalers and Indianapolis Racers before retiring after the 1977-78 season.

Younger brother Wilf was the second overall pick in the 1974 NHL Draft by the expansion Kansas City Scouts.

Wilf had a pair of 40 goal seasons, first with the Colorado Rockies in 1976-77 and then a career-best 40-goal, 97-point season with Toronto.

He was also never afraid to drop the gloves, totaling more than 100 penalty minutes 11 times.

He finished his career after stints with the Nordiques, Rangers, Sabres and Penguins.

19. Neil and Mac Colville

The Colville brothers were part of the Rangers famed "Bread Line" along with Alex Shibicky back in the late 1930s and early 1940s.

The brothers were both members of the Rangers 1940 Stanley Cup winning team.

The Colvilles were forwards until serving in the Army in World War II. When they returned to the Rangers after the war, Neil was converted to a defenseman and he became the first player to be named an All-Star at both forward and defense during his NHL career.

Mac was with the Rangers until 1946-47. Neil played until 1949 and then took over as coach of the Rangers.

Neil was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1967.

18. Dave and Don Maloney

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The Maloney brothers played for the New York Rangers in the late 1970s and early 1980s.

Older brother Dave was a defenseman who later served as captain of the Rangers. After 10 seasons on Broadway, Maloney finished his career with one season in Buffalo.

He scored 71 goals and 317 points in 657 career NHL games and served as captain of the Rangers in 1979 when they reached the Stanley Cup Final.

Today, Dave works as an analyst on Rangers radio and TV broadcasts.

Don came up midway through the 1978-79 season and had a record-breaking playoff run for a rookie, scoring 20 points in 18 postseason games.

The steady winger lasted 11 seasons with the Rangers before finishing his career with stints with the Whalers and the Islanders.

In 765 career NHL games, Don scored 214 goals and 564 points. He is presently the GM of the Phoenix Coyotes.

17. Barclay, Bob and Bill Plager

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The three Plager brothers were tough, physical defensemen who played together for the St. Louis Blues in the late 1960s and early 1970s.

Bill had the shortest NHL career of the trio and played for the North Stars, Blues and Flames. He played in 263 NHL games while starring in the minor leagues in between stints in the NHL. He finished his career with four goals and 38 points.

Bob Plager kicked around the Rangers organization before expansion when he joined the Blues and helped them reach three straight Stanley Cup Finals from 1968-70.

Bob lasted 14 seasons in the NHL and finished with 20 goals and 126 points in 644 games. He was known for his strong play in his own end and his toughness.

He later coached the Blues for part of the 1992-93 season.

Barclay was the toughest of the Plager brothers and had six seasons of 100 or more penalty minutes with the Blues.

He spent his entire NHL career with the Blues from 1967-1977. He scored 44 goals and 231 points in 614 career NHL games.

Barclay died of brain cancer in 1988.

16. Denis and Jean Potvin

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Jean, the older of the Potvin brothers, had a solid NHL career with the Kings, Flyers, Islanders, Barons and North Stars from 1970 until 1981.

He scored a key goal in the Islanders first ever playoff game, a 3-2 win over the Rangers at Madison Square Garden in 1975 and was a member of the Islanders first Stanley Cup-winning team in 1980 before retiring to the broadcast booth.

Younger brother Denis was the first overall pick in the 1973 NHL Draft and went on to a Hall of Fame career spent entirely with the Islanders.

Denis played 15 seasons in the NHL, won four Stanley Cups with the Isles and served as captain of the team.

Denis finished his career as the highest scoring defenseman in NHL playoff history and had 310 goals and 1,052 points in 1,060 NHL games.

He was a force both with the puck and in his own zone and was not afraid to play a physical game.

Denis was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1991.

15. Eric, Marc and Jordan Staal

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The Staal brothers are the pride of Thunder Bay, Ontario.

There are presently three brothers playing in the NHL, Eric, Marc and Jordan, with a fourth brother, Jared, who is presently playing in the Hurricanes organization but has yet to make his NHL debut.

Marc is the only defenseman among the Staal brothers and plays for the New York Rangers. At 6'4" and 209 pounds, Staal has good size and skills. He was selected to play in the 2011 NHL All-Star Game.

Eric and Jordan are presently both playing for the Carolina Hurricanes. Eric is the team's captain and won a Stanley Cup in 2006. He has been named to four NHL All-Star Games and was named the MVP of the 2008 contest.

Jordan spent his early career with the Pittsburgh Penguins, buried on the depth chart at center behind Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. He often stepped up to the second line when one of the superstars was injured.

Jordan was part of the Penguins 2009 Stanley Cup winning team and has been a finalist for both the Calder and Selke Trophies.

14. Joe and Brian Mullen

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The Mullen brothers grew up in the Hell's Kitchen section of New York City, an unlikely place for an NHL player to grow up.

Joe played 16 seasons in the NHL after a successful college career at Boston College. He played for the Blues, Flames, Penguins and Bruins and won three Stanley Cups during his NHL career, one with Calgary and two with Pittsburgh.

Joe had six seasons of 40 goals or more including a career-best 51 goals and 110 points in 1988-89.

He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2000.

Brian played his college hockey at Wisconsin before playing 11 seasons in the NHL with the Jets, Rangers, Sharks and Islanders.

He played in the 1989 All-Star Game and had seven seasons of 20 or more goals in the NHL.

Brian's career was cut short by a stroke which he suffered 1993. He scored 260 goals and 622 points in 832 NHL games.

13. Derian and Kevin Hatcher

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The Hatcher brothers were both large defensemen who combined toughness with some offensive ability.

Kevin is the older brother. He played most of his career with the Capitals and later played for the Stars, Penguins, Rangers and Hurricanes.

He was selected to play in five NHL All-Star Games and had a career-best 34 goals and 79 points in 1992-93.

Derian won a Stanley Cup with the Dallas Stars in 1999 and scored 80 goals and 331 points in 1,045 career games.

Both brothers were inducted into the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame in 2010.

12. Ken and Dave Dryden

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March 20, 1971 marked the only occasion that two brothers opposed each other as opposing goalies in an NHL game.

Ken Dryden was in goal for Montreal while brother Dave tended the net for Buffalo. The Habs won the game 5-2 at the Montreal Forum.

Dave played for the Blackhawks and Sabres before jumping to the WHA for five seasons. He returned to the NHL in 1979 when the Oilers were added to the NHL as an expansion club.

Ken spent his entire NHL career with the Canadiens and led them to six Stanley Cups in nine NHL seasons.

He won the Conn Smythe Trophy in 1971 after playing just six regular season games in the NHL and then won the Calder Trophy as the league's top rookie the following season.

Ken was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1983.

11. Marcel and Gilbert Dionne

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Older brother Marcel is a Hall of Famer and one of the leading scorers in NHL history while younger brother Gilbert spent more time in the minors than the NHL.

Gilbert still had a pair of 20-goal seasons with the Canadiens. He scored 61 goals and 140 points in 223 career NHL games.

Marcel, meanwhile, was a superstar on some fairly mediocre Kings teams in the late 1970s and 80s. He led the NHL in points in 1979-80 and had eight seasons of 100 or more points.

His best seasons came as the center of the "Triple Crown Line" between Dave Taylor and Charlie Simmer.

Marcel finished his career with 731 goal and 1,771 points in 1,348 games. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1993.

Gilbert did accomplish one thing Marcel never did. He won a Stanley Cup in 1993 with the Canadiens.

10. Neal, Aaron and Paul Broten

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Neal Broten is the oldest of the three Broten brothers who played in the NHL. He has the rare distinction of winning an NCAA championship, an Olympic gold medal and a Stanley Cup title. He also won the Hobey Baker Award as the best player in college hockey.

Neal finished his NHL career with 923 points in 1,099 games with the North Stars, Devils and Kings.

Aaron was drafted by the Colorado Rockies and decade of his career with the Rockies/Devils organization. He later played for the North Stars, Nordiques, Maple Leafs and Jets before retiring after the 1991-92 season. He scored 186 goals and 515 points in 748 career NHL games.

Paul Broten was more of a grinder and spent seven seasons in the NHL with the Rangers, Stars and Blues. His best season came with the Rangers in 1991-92 when he had 28 points and 102 penalty minutes.

9. Bill and Bun Cook

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Bill and Bun Cook played together for the Rangers in the early days of the franchise.

They were both members of "The Bread Line" along with Frank Boucher.

Bill was the Rangers first captain and helped lead the Rangers to two Stanley Cup titles in 1928 and 1933.

Bill twice led the NHL in scoring and was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1952. Bun was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1995.

8. Scott and Rob Niedermayer

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In 2007, Rob and Scott Niedermayer won a Stanley Cup together on the Anaheim Ducks.

It was the first championship for Rob, a checking center who played more than 1,000 NHL games for the Panthers, Flames, Ducks, Devils and Sabres during his 15-year NHL career.

Scott was a defenseman who won four Stanley Cups with the Devils and Ducks. He had incredible speed and skating ability and won both a Norris Trophy as the NHL's top defenseman and a Conn Smythe Trophy as the playoff MVP.

Scott will be eligible for the Hockey Hall of Fame for the first time later this year.

7. Brian, Duane, Darryl, Brent, Rich and Ron Sutter

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The six Sutter brothers became a hockey institution in the 1970s and 80s. Brian, Duane, Darryl, Brent, Rich and Ron all played in the NHL and four of the brothers went on to become NHL coaches or GMs after their playing days were over.

Brent and Duane won six Stanley Cups between them with the New York Islanders in the early 1980s while Darryl won a Stanley Cup last year as coach of the Los Angeles Kings.

The six Sutter brothers played nearly 5,000 regular season NHL games during their respective careers.

Brent scored the most goals and points and had the longest career. Brian accumulated more penalty minutes than any of his brothers.

A second generation of Sutters has now reached the NHL with Brandon and Brett reaching the toughest hockey league in the world.

The Sutter family originally hailed from Viking, Alberta.

6. Henrik and Daniel Sedin

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The Sedin Twins have been practically inseparable on the ice since they were kids growing up in Sweden.

Both brothers have spent their entire NHL career with Vancouver and have played on the same line. The twins have a chemistry that few other players can match. Henrik is the better passer while Daniel is the goal scorer.

The Sedins helped the Canucks reach the Stanley Cup Final in 2011 where they fell in seven games to the Boston Bruins.

Both twins have won NHL scoring titles and both won gold medals for Sweden at the 2006 Winter Olympics.

5. Peter, Anton and Marian Stastny

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The three Stastny brothers all played together for the Quebec Nordiques in the 1980s.

Peter and Anton escaped from communist Czechoslovakia in 1980, leaving in secret in the middle of the night to go play hockey in Canada.

Peter was the most successful of the brothers on the ice. He won the Calder Trophy as the NHL's top rookie in 1981 and topped the 100-point mark in seven NHL seasons. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1998 after a 16-year NHL career with Quebec, New Jersey and St. Louis.

Anton played in the NHL for nine seasons and scored more than 30 goals four times. Marian lasted five seasons in the NHL and topped the 30-goal mark twice.

On February 22, 1981, Peter and Anton each scored eight points in a single game in an 11-7 win over the Washington Capitals.

4. Frank and Pete Mahovlich

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Frank Mahovlich won six Stanley Cups during his NHL career, four with Toronto and two more with Montreal.

"The Big M" scored 533 career NHL goals and 1,103 points and added another 89 goals and 232 points in four seasons in the WHA.

He represented Canada in the 1972 and 1974 series against the Soviets.

He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1981.

Younger brother Pete won four Stanley Cups with the Canadiens. He was known as "The Little M" despite standing 6'5".

He played 16 seasons in the NHL with Detroit, Montreal and Pittsburgh and finished his career with 773 points in 884 games.

3. Bobby and Dennis Hull

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Bobby Hull was one of the greatest goal scorers in NHL history.

Bobby was also the first star to jump to the WHA and the first hockey player to sign a $1 million contract when he signed with the Winnipeg Jets in 1972.

"The Golden Jet" won a Stanley Cup with Chicago in 1961 and was the first player to score more than 50 goals in an NHL season.

He finished his career with 610 goals and 1,170 points in 1,063 NHL games and added another 303 goals and 638 points in 411 WHA contests.

Bobby was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1983.

Dennis also played with the Blackhawks for most of his NHL career and was Bobby's teammate for eight seasons.

He scored 303 career goals and played in five NHL All-Star Games.

After retiring, Dennis became a public speaker known for telling funny hockey stories at business meetings and banquets.

2. Phil and Tony Esposito

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The Esposito brothers were both Hall of Famers who were at their best in the 1970s.

Phil played for Chicago, Boston and the New York Rangers and was one of the best goal scorers of all-time.

He set a record in 1970-71, scoring 76 goals and 152 points.

Many of Phil's goals came on rebounds, tip-ins and deflections. He would set up in front of the opposing crease and use his size and strength to disrupt opposing goalies.

He helped lead the Bruins to Stanley Cup wins in 1970 and 1972 and was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1984 after scoring 717 career goals.

He later served as coach and GM of the New York Rangers and helped the Tampa Bay Lightning join the NHL.

Tony pioneered the butterfly style of goaltending. He won three Vezina Trophies and was named to five postseason All-Star Teams. He also won a Stanley Cup in 1969 with Montreal and was inducted to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1988.

Both Esposito brothers played for Canada during the 1972 Summit Series.

1. Maurice and Henri Richard

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The Richard brothers are hockey's ultimate sibling duo.

Older brother Maurice was the most prolific goal scorer of all-time at the time of his retirement and the first player to score 50 goals in 50 games.

"The Rocket" won eight Stanley Cups including five in a row with Montreal from 1956-1960 and served as captain of those dynasty teams.

He was also the first NHL player to score more than 500 goals in his NHL career.

Younger brother Henri was known as "The Pocket Rocket" because he was smaller and younger than Maurice.

He was more of a set-up man than a goal scorer but still scored more than 1,000 points during his NHL career.

He also won the Stanley Cup 11 times as a player, more than anybody else in NHL history.

Maurice was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1961, Henri in 1979.